


The Ballad of C-137

by JustSomeSmutHere



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: ADVENTURE!, C137cest, M/M, Morty tries to find himself, No sex in this one guys, Plot to get to more sex in later parts, Rick/Morty - Freeform, incest sort of?, just plot, mortycest - Freeform, selfcest sort of?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-04 16:41:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12775140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeSmutHere/pseuds/JustSomeSmutHere
Summary: Morty needs to find a safe place. Somewhere away from Rick.. Maybe forever. Somewhere he can feel normal.Part 13 of my series.





	1. Don't Look Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fitzcarraldo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fitzcarraldo/gifts).



> This takes place in an alternate timeline type thing without a democratic Citadel once it's been rebuilt. It still has the council of Ricks to make the plot far less complicated.

Morty was scared.

Okay fucking terrified was more accurate as he hyperventilated in the stall of the alien bathroom with too many strange fixtures that he assumed were 'toilets' for different species to relieve themselves in.

Tears streamed down his face as he leaned against the wall and alternated with taking the two steps of room he had to pace back and forth in the stall.

The kid stared at the portal gun in his hands and more tears brimmed his eyes before they streamed down his face.

What was he doing here? What did he think running away and stealing Rick's portal gun of all things would accomplish?

He contemplated vomiting for a third time but realized there was nothing left in his stomach.  
After a few minutes he forced himself to calm down enough to come up with a plan. Something. Anything. Something had to come next. He couldn't just stay in here forever until Rick came to fetch him.  
Rick.

He sobbed again and slapped himself, eyes wild.  
Rick would find him and come for him. He could have a tracking device anywhere on his body... He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't face him again.  
More tears leaked from his eyes.

Morty had to move on to something else. To someWHERE else.  
Where could he go?  
He wasn't as helpless as Rick would like to think. He'd picked up quite a bit of street smarts. So think. Where can I hide? Where can I go to a place where I'd be able to make it without ending up murdered by some horrible alien?  
Where could he hide in plain sight?

The answer came to him instantly.  
The Citadel.

Rick might be able to track him but he couldn't GET to him in the Citadel. It was a forbidden place for him. C-137 Rick was wanted all over the known universe across countless dimensions. But not many wanted him dead as badly as the Council of Ricks. Revenge was dangerous. And a Rick that wanted revenge was FAR more dangerous still.  
Even if the Ricks at the Citadel were pussies compared to his Rick, they were still Ricks.

He looked at his portal gun again. Wait no, Rick's portal gun, not his. Never his. Before portaling himself to the Citadel he needed a place to hide it, like a jacket or something.   
As he continued to stare down at the portal gun he realized with horror where the easiest place would be to get a garment to hide the gun at would be.

His room.

Morty shivered and didn't think about it for a moment longer. He knew that if he hesitated it would never happen.  
After pressing a few buttons on the gun, and making extra sure the door was locked, he shot a portal at the stall door and walked through to his empty room.   
In just a few quick strides he was at his coat rack and picking out the fluffiest coat he could find.  
Just as he was about to walk back through the portal he heard a loud wail from somewhere downstairs and faltered, his eyes going wide at the sound of the familiar, harrowed voice. He stayed there for a moment, his resolve wavering until he heard another cry and a crash of something heavy. Feeling startled and terrified all over again, he ran through the portal and closed it hastily, panting and shaking.

More tears.  
He wiped his eyes defiantly and pulled the coat on, slipping the gun easily into one of the large pockets. It was perfectly hidden in the puffy garment.  
Morty stole himself before adjusting the gun once more, shooting a new portal and stepping through.  
Thank fuck his calculations were correct. He hurriedly closed the portal and stowed the gun.  
An empty alleyway. 

The boy tried to look casual as he made his way down the alley. It opened into a street. He saw with some alarm a few Ricks here and there. All different. All of them looked more disturbed than most Ricks, which was saying something.

One of them looked up and grinned maliciously.  
“Heyyy Mortyyy!”

Other Ricks began to look around curiously. Some that were sitting on cardboard boxes stood and gathered. One was nursing a needle, another a bottle of something that poured black and green smoke. This looked bad.  
Another Rick spoke.

“W-wanna do so- wanna experiment with us Morty?”

“He's mine, fucker, I sooouaw him first.”

“Suck my cock, I'll fight you for him.”

A third Rick, one with an eye patch spoke up:  
“C-caooulm down, assholes. We can al-all experiment on him till we find another!”

“Who made you boss, shit-for-brains?!”

Mortyless Ricks...  
He'd heard about these. Highly dangerous. They'd lost their Mortys in accidents or some other kind of tragic event causing them to lose their minds. Well, lose their minds more.

The eye patch Rick started advancing on him.

“Look if you just hold him down, Twitchy, we can get him sedated. Then we'll- we'll decide what to do with him.”  
The one with the needle winked and stood up.

“Alright but only if I get to do the first experiment.”

“Fuck you!”

“Hey.. where's that fucker going!?”

Morty was running as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He ducked down an alley, wheezing in panic.  
“Ohhh no, ohno, ohno, ohno! Hnnngh!”  
He freaked out as quietly as he could.

“Oh Mortyyy, come out to plaaayaaay!”  
The needle Rick, Twitchy, apparently, peered around the corner, grinning wickedly. It was not a nice grin. It wasn't a sarcastic grin. It was a grin his Rick had never given him.  
It was a grin he wish he'd never seen. And it might be one of the last things he'd ever see. The two other Rick's had joined him in the alleyway with four new ones in tow.

This was bad.  
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.  
They were only a few feet away now and Morty's bladder was suddenly feeling too full.

“No, jesus no! L-l-listen Rick errr Ricks. You don't want me! I-I-I've already had to-too many experiments done on me. I-I'm immune to experiments now, haha..”

“Idiot.”

“Fucking retard.”

“What do you think we're stupid?”

They all turned abruptly as a new voice joined the others. Not a Rick.

“O-oh jeez. Oh gosh. Ahh where am I? S-someone? Rick? O-other M-mortys? Ahh jeez...”  
He could see between the myriad of Ricks a figure that was his own height but.. Something was weird, something was wrong. He wasn't... Human?


	2. Close Your Eyes and Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Each Morty has their own quirks and I tried to make the way they speak different from one another to make it easier to see when I'm switching between them.  
> Rabbit Morty stutters a lot.  
> Punk Morty uses informal language and stutters sometimes.  
> Specs Morty uses formal language and tries to sound smart.  
> Specter Morty tries to be funny but just ends up being annoying or lame.

The new Morty's little pink nose twitched rapidly, chest heaving as he looked around to and fro, eyes wide.  
"G-guys? W-where are you?”

The Ricks leered. Some looked from him to the.. Was he a rabbit?

"H-hi! Oh geez, can you guys uh, tell me how to get to uh, Mortytown from here? I-I-I think I'm a little lost.”

“Pff I'll say.”

“Stupid rodent.”

“Lagamorph.”

“What?”

“They're called lagamorphs technically.”

“But he's not really fully a rabbit is he?”

“Who fucking cares? He's a Morty that's all that matters.”

“Who made you the fucking king of knowle-”

He'd been cut off from speaking. Because his head was gone.  
Blood squirted from one of the useless jugulars before he fell to his knees and collapsed. It wasn't that his head exploded. It was just not there anymore.

“Hooly shit!”

“Well damn! Guess that's it for ole' Patchy. Shit.”

“Rabbit boy's got some fire boiiiii.”

The rabbit Morty? The rabbit Morty was aiming a sizable alien gun at them. His eyes were hard as steel. The expression looked strange on his fuzzy face with the cute floppy ears hanging down beside it.  
“Shut t-the fuck up! I-i-if you take another step toward that Morty I'll disintegrate all your i-idiotic heads.”

Several Ricks put their hands up but a majority of them looked bored and sullen.  
“Oh that little gun is gonna kill alll of us before we beat your fluffy little ass, huh?”  
He gestured to the other Ricks.

“No, b-but those will.”

A Morty with a green mohawk stepped from the shadows and aimed a huge, multi-barreled gun at them. A green creature with lots of teeth and claws stepped from an adjacent alleyway and roared? Yeah roared.  
Monster Morty.  
The three Mortys gathered together.

“We still outflank you three assblasters.”  
Said one of the Ricks flatly.

“Oh, so you'd like to risk getting hit with this? Suit yourself.”  
A fourth Morty with glasses and a pullover stepped around the corner holding a tiny gun.

All the Ricks simultaneously threw their hands in the air and started spluttering.

“Heyy we weren't doin nothin!”

“Cmon we were just looking for a good time, fuck off Morty!”

“N-now don't do anything crazy, Morty, this is grandpa talking.”

“FUCK YOU OLD MAN!”  
The rabbit one suddenly screamed.

The Morty with the mohawk put his hand on the fluffy bunny Morty's shoulder.  
“Easy baby, easy.”

The phrase reminded him of Rick. He almost shivered.

The Rabbit Morty closed his eyes and breathed before opening them again.  
“U-u-unless you wanna die, I s-suggest you get the fuck out of here, q-qu-quick!”

The Ricks began to shuffle away slowly, many of them throwing up the finger or mooning them before leaving. One even attempted to piss on the Morty with the glasses, who promptly shot him with the tiny gun.  
The hapless Rick disintegrated into screaming ashes before reassembling again and melting. He continued to scream as he reformed. This time his body turned inside out before his capillaries unraveled themselves. He continued to scream and reform as the other Ricks began to hightail it away.

Morty continued to watch him disassemble himself in new and terrible ways before reassembling. He couldn't manage to look away until one of the Mortys spoke. The one with the glasses.

“I warned you. Imbeciles.”  
The Morty with glasses pushed said article up the bridge of his nose and stowed the horrible little weapon, his nose wrinkling.

"Shame really. Could have used that in much more dire circumstances. Oh well. He tried my temper.”

“Geez S-Specs did you really ha-have to do that here? Fucking g-gross.”  
Said the rabbit.

“Like I said, couldn't be helped.”

The Morty with the mohawk lowered his weapon and leaned on the rabbit Morty's shoulder, making him almost fall over before the rabbit grinned and pushed him away.  
“Looks like we-we got a new friend, guys!”  
Said the mohawk one.

Morty looked a little sheepish.

“H-hi guys. I woulda been dead meat without you guys. Really I mean. Thank you, guys. That was pretty awesome h-honestly.”  
All the Mortys gave him warm smiles. Even the monster one. Though it was more of a smile with his eyes since his mouth didn't seem quite capable of the sentiment.

The mohawk Morty stepped forward, extending his hand.  
“We're the Morty Gang. I know it's not a very good name but we didn't pick it.”

The monster shook his head emphatically.

“We'd rather have been called The Fist. Five make one, you see?”

“O-or the S-Slaughters.”

“How's about u-uh Big Thunder?”

“Anything but the Morty Gang. So droll.”

The monster roared.

Morty looked at the ragtag cast of characters.  
“Five? B-but there are only four of you.”

“Hello, friend.”  
A voice said right next to his ear.

Morty almost jumped out of his skin. The portal gun rattled in his pocket and he grit his teeth. He instinctively knew that if anyone were to find out he had it, that would be it for him. He'd either be murdered, arrested, or-or-or he didn't know. It wouldn't be good though.

A ghostlike Morty appeared next to him. It looked like it'd been torn apart at the waist. It? He? Was see-through, had no pupils and his skeleton was showing along with the remnants of his spine. Gross.  
“Ahhahaha y-you scared the shit outta me!”

The ghost smiled wryly.  
“Glad I didn't I can't smell but pee-u.”

The other Mortys laughed like it was a sitcom. Even the monster one.  
This was weird. But they were quite charming and they'd certainly saved his ass.

“So uh. I'm Morty.”  
He said lamely.

“We know that, s-s-silly! What Morty? W-we're all Mortys!”  
He giggled.

The mohawk one pointed to himself.  
“I'm Hawk.”

He threw his arm around the rabbit one's shoulders.  
“This here cutie is Bunny.”

Jerking his thumb at the ghost he said:  
“Specter.”

“Specs.”  
He pointed to the glasses Morty.

“Aaaaand last but not least Dino. Stupid I know but he likes it.”

The mon- Dino growled like he'd taken offense.

They all laughed again. Morty tried to laugh along this time albeit uncomfortably.

“W-well I'm called Jacket Morty.”

The punk pointed at him.  
“Jack.”

“Y-yeah I.. I guess that is a good name! So uhh..”

“Right, so we better get outta here because where there's one Rick, there's more. And you don't want to s-see more.”

“Y-y-yeah. Not here. Well.. Not a-anywhere as far as I'm c-concerned.”

Hawk rubbed him soothingly between the ears.

“Well I'd be safe but I-I don't know about you guys, hehe.”

Dino rolled his eyes and made a 'blah, blah, blah' motion with his claws.

“Yes, we get it. You're a ghost. Yes all well and good but we're of flesh and blood. As always, let's away please, and quickly.”  
Specs raised his brows in a very Rick-like way.

Morty wondered with a pain in his stomach if his own mannerisms were so like Rick's as well.

“W-w-well we'll take care o-of you Jack. We m-make it a habit of finding and helping M-Mortys. We're a-also slowly trying to uh, c-clean up Mortytown one Morty at a t-time.”

Hawk scratched him between the ears again fondly.

“Hear that? Got yourself t-the best escort this side of the Citadel, kid.”  
Hawk winked and Morty beamed.


	3. You're One of Us

After much laughing and joking on their way back to Mortytown, Morty began to fall in easily with the strange group of kids. They were easy to get along with and he was unused to seeing a group of people who cared for each other so much. They were so kind and warm. He felt lucky to even be in such a group even if he wasn't part of it.  
A lot of inside jokes went right over his head and he would smile awkwardly.

He noticed Bunny was more perceptive and aware than all the other Mortys. He'd often notice Morty's apprehension and would sometimes even explain some of the inside jokes to Morty which had him actually laughing afterwards.

Before he knew it they were standing in front of a bar.  
'Morty's Bar'

“W-we didn't pick the name.”  
Hawk said quickly with an apology in his voice.

Mortys filtered in and out. Many waving to the five and trying to start a conversation. Hawk would explain that Jack was a new Morty who'd probably lost his Rick. Many of the Mortys would pat his shoulder or hug him and when that happened he was deeply thankful that he'd picked the puffiest jacket he could find.  
He put a hand in his pocket and fingered the portal gun nervously and possessively.

Morty felt a bit out of place and shaken. He wasn't used to such affection.  
They didn't enter however and all seemed to be waiting for Morty's reaction with bated breath.

Really? He was just regular old shitty Morty. But he had the idea that these five didn't seem to think that.  
“I-it's really nice. I mean, you guys have your own place. I think it's great. Do you guys run this place? I-is this your bar? Like you guys own it, right?”

Dino nodded enthusiastically and smiled again with his eyes before turning to wave at an alien-looking Morty who called his name.

“Yes! It's all ours and we see all manner of guests here. Even Ricks! We make sure to throw them out if they get rowdy though.”  
Specs smiled wryly.

Morty suppressed a shiver. Ricks.

Hawk patted his shoulder.  
“You'd be surprised a-at the fights we have to break up at times. Drunk Mortys a-are a sight to see, Jack. Just you wait. Fucking magnificent.”

He looked taken aback.  
“W-what do you mean? A-a-am I staying here? I..”

“Pfff! O-of c-course!”

“Do you think we'd just leave you o-out to dryyy?”  
Said Specter, trying to sound like a ghost from a cartoon or something. It sounded weird coming from a Morty.

He felt humbled though. They didn't even know him. But it occurred to him that he would do the same for another Morty and in that respect it only made sense.  
The five were already making their way in. Bunny dragged him along. His hand was soft and fuzzy.  
The decor of the bar was cliché but homey. It made the place feel warm and inviting. Like a TGI Fridays or a Bennigans. 

Mortys sat along the bar in various states of drunkenness, laughing and talking easily to one another.  
Morty felt like he was on another planet.  
Some Mortys looked like he did while others looked vastly different, even mutated.

Hawk looked sadly behind the bar. No bartender. Strange. Hawk addressed the issue with a swallow.

“We uh.. L-lost our last bartender.”  
His voice broke.

“Oh.”  
Was all he managed and wondered what happened. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He could tell from Hawk's tone that he'd died. How? Did Mortys die a lot here?..  
He felt a heavy and sharp something descend on his shoulder and hot, foul breath next to his face. Dino was looking at him. It was very intimidating and he at once realized who the bouncer was for this place. Morty felt afraid that he was about to get mauled but Dino's eyes were smiling again.

“W-we thought y-you could sort of.. T-take his place.”

Morty gulped.  
“M-me?”

Hawk leaned in conspiratorially.  
“Look J-Jack, I'm gonna cut to the chase. We knew right away that you're not like other Mortys, okay? You're like u-us, a-a rogue. We could spot it from a mile away. You can help us. You can help us help other Mortys who aren't so.. Perceptive o-or fortunate.” 

He gulped again. Special? A rogue Morty. Rogue Morty. C-137. Thank god they didn't know that though. He was Jack, just Jack.

“Geez guys. I gotta be honest. That sounds great.”  
Morty felt relief descend over him. Things were going to be okay.

Bunny winked at him and smiled wide.  
“You're home, honey.”


	4. Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit hard to write :(

After the whirlwind of greetings and activity, Specs showed him to his room. It had been the other Morty's room.. The bartender.

It seemed painfully empty, with remnants of posters torn from the walls and a dresser with one of the drawers askew.  
It made something in the pit of his stomach churn.

After a smile and a goodnight Specs left him to his new home. This was his room now. After locking the door, he furtively pulled the portal gun from his jacket. Jack the thief, Jack the liar.  
His face broke as he looked at the gun. Too large in his hands. It didn't belong to him. It could never belong to him.  
Tears fell on it, leaving rings of condensation where they lay on the cold metal.  
He sniffed as quietly as he could.

Now that he finally had time to grieve, he did. God damn did he grieve.  
Morty found himself sitting on the bed just staring at the gun, missing his touch. Missing his scent. Missing everything about him. That shitty smirk. The callused hands that were too rough at times in their eagerness to please him and himself.  
He hugged the cold gun so hard that it dug painfully into his ribs. It was all he had left of him. The only piece, the only shred he had left of Rick. HIS Rick.

And he had been his. Irrevocably his. Undeniably.  
He quivered with a few sobs. Icy emptiness replaced regret and frustration.  
He just missed him. He just missed him so fucking much.

Morty didn't sleep that night.

After a day or two Morty easily began to fall into the role of bartender with his newfound friends. He hadn't seen a Rick yet and he prayed he wouldn't, terrified of how he might react.

The bar had been extended in the back. There were four rooms back there and two bathrooms. Each Morty had his own room except Hawk and Bunny. It didn't take him long to figure out that they were in a relationship. The idea of it was unnatural at first. But after a bit of thinking it occurred to him that they were lonely and if they found solace in each other, as strange as it would be to fuck himself, he didn't blame them. Good for them. Though being with another version of himself would never be for him. He just wasn't attracted to himself or any of the other versions of him.  
There was only one person for him and that was over with now.

With a sigh Morty stared out the window. A familiar figure caught his eye; tall, lanky, arrogant gait.  
His eyes widened and he let out a stuttered breath and looked away quickly, his pace quickening.  
Fuckfuck no. Please. No. Not now, not ever again.

He cleared his throat and pulled out a damp washcloth, rubbing at a small spot on the polished wood of the bar. His cheeks felt hot and he tried to ignore it.  
The door swung open and he heard a Morty laugh loudly. It sounded distant as he rubbed more furiously at the spot of food or whatever it was, gritting his teeth.  
A familiar voice hit him like a shock. He felt cold sweat on his skin.

“Double whiskey, shrimp. Huoourry up.”

Morty stopped and looked up with a horrified expression, his mouth downturned only slightly.

“Jesus christ. W-what the- what the hell is wrong with you? Are you one of THOSE Mortys? Christ, kid. Just get me my fucking whiskey already and stop looking at me like that. I ain't your fuckin' Rick. Make it sn-snappy."

Morty looked down and fumbled for a glass which he almost dropped and the bottle of Jack. Hah.. Jack.

“Ugh not that shit, dumbass. Gross. Gimme a-a single malt. Scotch. You know what scotch is don't you?”  
The man talked to him like he was a child. So unforgivably Rick. Like his Rick. Only he wasn't.

He looked up at him again. Rick's brow was raised. He swallowed again hard, hands shaking. The glass fell and shattered.  
The bar went a little quieter and some of the patrons looked up.

Hawk and Bunny who were talking quietly in the corner stared around at him.  
Bunny quickly looked from Rick back to him. He briefly scanned his face and Morty felt as if his eyes were staring right through him. He felt suddenly naked from the way he was looking at him.

“E-e-excuse me!”  
He hurried from the bar and stumbled into the back to lean against the wall, staring at the ceiling, hyperventilating, hand clutched to his chest, sweating. A sob that was caught in his throat came bubbling forth in a hiccuping gasp. Tears spilled down his cheeks and he pressed a hand to his mouth. He felt like he might throw up.

Bunny was there, staring again. His eyes looked full of pain and maybe anger.

Morty looked up wildly and scrubbed his eyes hastily.

“I-I-I'm sorry, Bunny! I-I j-just.. I couldn't I w-wasn't ready!”

The too-cute face was in total contrast with the expression on it.

“Come with me, Jack. Cmon' walk with me.”

He was tugging Morty along who stumbled again, sniffling and trembling as he followed numbly.  
A door was shut behind him. They were in a room with mismatched frilly fru-fru decorations and spiked bracelets and anarchy signs scrawled on the walls.  
The bed was soft, with a few pillows on it. One said Kawaii. Ew. There was a stuffed moose sitting on the bed next to the pillows.  
A hand was on his.

“Hey, look at me Jack. Jack come back to me. Hey.”

The paw was on his chin, making him look up. His frantic eyes met larger ones that were solemn and sad. Too sad. The look in them was very like Rick's. Immeasurably sad like they'd seen too much, far too much. But there was profound kindness in there too unlike Ricks. Well.. Not most Ricks.

“Hey. A lot of us go through it. It's okay, Jack.”  
No stutter.  
The hand squeezed his.

“He's gone now, sweetie. He's not coming back. He can't hurt you anymore. He's not here and he'll never be here. We won't let him hurt you anymore.”

Morty shook his head vigorously.

“I-i-it's not like that! Y-you don't understand! It's I.. I want him back okay?!”  
He sobbed, embarrassed to say such a thing. It was true but god it was awful to feel and even worse to say. It all came tumbling out, making him redder with each word.

“I need him so much.. I miss his smell. I miss h-his hands.. E-every-everything.”  
He might really throw up this time. He gagged.

The hand squeezed tighter.

“I KNOW.”

Morty looked up.

Bunny's mouth was thin, his brow was furrowed and his eyes looked hurt and angry.

“Y-you're not the only one okay? Did you think you're the only one? Out of the countless Ricks and Mortys. It's not just you.”

His breathing amped up and his face broke as he dissolved into sobs.

Surprisingly strong arms were around him, squeezing tight.

He wasn't sure how long he cried for and eventually he did throw up into the little pink trashcan in the room.


	5. Your Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fuck.

It had been a few weeks and seeing Ricks didn't really bother him anymore. They flitted in and out of the bar and Morty barely batted an eye. At night, alone it was a different story. He'd nurse the gun when he was alone, staring at his dull reflection and the way it shone in the dim light.

Sometimes he'd do lewd things to himself, mumbling Rick's name. More tears afterward.  
Bunny was his nearly constant companion now along with Hawk, who'd smile and wink at him, patting his shoulder comfortingly whenever he noticed Morty was anxious. Which was less than he used to be but he was still Morty after all.

They made him feel normal. Even got him laughing again after a while.

The gang were planning another rescue mission. It was a regular activity for them.

Bunny's eyes were hard as he shouldered a large gun and nodded to Morty.

“I-it's time. Let's do this.”

He passed Morty a gun with different knobs on it and Morty looked at it, feeling lost.

“Don't worry. Those are settings you won't need to use. We set it to kill. We don't need to set it to anything else. Here's the safety.”

Morty stared down at the murderous weapon. It wasn't as if he'd killed before, that wasn't a problem. But he'd be killing Ricks this time.  
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Morty stalked down a dark alleyway in Mortytown, gun at the ready, safety off.  
It was eleven o' clock and dark as shit.  
His hand shook slightly as he aimed his gun, the searchlight illuminating dark corners.

“M-morty? I-if any Mortys are here, we can help you. We can help you get off drugs and help you get a job. You don't have to be here anymore.

His light fell over a familiar figure.  
Really? Why here? Why now..  
Rick.. Labcoat and all.  
Morty's resolve waned.

“R-rick? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

“W-what a guy caaauhnt fucking do what he wants in the middle of the night all of a sudden? Since when did you give a-a shit about that? Get that damn light out of my face.”  
Morty felt like he was suspended in time and for a moment he was confused.

“R-rick, I missed you..”  
The old man looked up, confused as well.

“Missed me? What are you talking about? Are you fucking gay or something?”  
Morty snapped out of his reverie.

“J-just get the fuck out of here Rick, were looking for Mortys, not you. You made us like this. You're th-the reason w- they need help.”  
He spat.

Rick began moving towards him.

“Like I give a shit. Like I created your tendencies. Whatever you do is your choice.”

“That's bullshit and you know it! You never gave a choice in a-anything! You just came into my life and started to do whatever you wanted with me, right away.”

Rick sighed deeply.

“Whatever, I don't have the energy for this. Wha-what the fuck are you gonna do anyway? Kill me? Kill grandpa?”  
The anger drained from his face.

”Good, go ahead.”  
Rick ran a hand through his hair.

“Look Morty. Honestly. I couldn't give a shit about that gun. I have no Morty and I'm just trying to find some meaning. So what, I'm rooting through fucking garbage. I'm not hurting anyone. What the hell do you want from me Morty? Wanna kill me? Go the fuck ahead.”  
He looked tired. An expression that Morty knew well.

Morty lowered the gun slowly.

“Rick..”  
His heart was aching.

“Just fucking do it. No one will miss one Rick.”

“N-n-no way, never. N-never. Jesus.”  
Morty was trembling at the thought.

Rick peered at him curiously.

“You're here, in Mortytown with a gun, with the Morty Gang and you don't want to kill me? Why the fuck are you with them?”  
His eyes were scrutinizing his face.

Morty was stunned.

“H-how did you know I'm with them?”

Rick rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Really, after all this time. I KNOW you Morty and I know this place better than you do. I know who you are. You can play bartender all you want but you're still Morty. And I can tell you're running from something. But not like the others. You're running from yourself.”

Morty's eyes widened.

“Hahaaa I was right. You think you're so goddamn clever. Running away from your Rick. You don't hate him. You hate yourself.”

“You're wrong! I-I do hate y- I do hate him!”

“You ran away, I didn't stop you. You did this, not me! Left me! You fucking left me! Got tired of grandpa's shit. Guess I can't blame you.”

Morty's voice cracked.

“NO! YOU PUSHED ME AWAY! I JUST TRIED TO LOVE YOU AND YOU PUSHED ME AWAY BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T HANDLE YOURSELF!”

Rick's face wrinkled in disgust.

“Ew you're one of THOSE Mortys.”

But before he could react further Morty's arms were around his middle.

His eyes went soft and his mouth was thin. He reached down to pat his back.

“You stupid little fucker.”

It was too long before Morty realized the gun had been tugged from his grip. He threw his hands up and backed away. But the gun wasn't pointed at him.

Rick's eyes were despondent and his voice broke:

“You did this. You fucking did this. You left me. It's all your fault.”  
He put the gun in his mouth.

“NO!! RICK NO!!”

He pulled the trigger, but instead of his brains splattering the bricks behind him, his head began to melt like some Raiders of the Lost Ark shit.  
It was fifty billion times worse.

Morty screamed and cried out.

“NOO!NO!NO!NO!”  
He was on his hands and knees, cradling the headless body.  
“Holy fuck Rick no.. Please... Please, Rick..”  
Morty held him until his body began to grow cold. He managed to stumble his way back into the street, the gun forgotten. A loose stone made him trip and he fell flat on his face, nose streaming with blood. He didn't bother to try getting up and sobbed, curling up in a ball.

He didn't know how long it had been.

“Guys! He's here!”

“H-holy shit!”

“Jack?! My god, is that you, Jack?”  
He was being hauled up into a sitting position.

“Easy boys, e-easy. Fuck, someone get a tissue or cloth or some shit.”

Dino helped Bunny tear a strip of cloth from his shirt which was promptly pressed beneath his nose.  
Something icy cold on his back made him shiver. It was Specter.

“I'm glad I found you, I-I was looking everywhere.”

“J-j-jack are you okay?! S-say something, buddy.”

Morty opened his eyes blearily. He was surrounded by his friends. They all let out a collective sigh of relief.

“W-w-what happened, honey?”

“R-rick, h-he..”  
Morty vomited.

“Ahh shit. Fuck. It's okay. Let it out. Let it all out. Better out than in.”  
Hawk patted his back and helped him lean over so he wouldn't throw up on himself anymore.

Bunny's mouth grew thin and he looked up at Specter who nodded tersely and floated away.

After a hushed conversation about what could have happened, Specter's voice sounded in a nearby alleyway.

“Holy fuck. God damn. Blew his first Rick's head off. Probably shouldn't have given him the disintegrater. Bad choice for his first Rick, Bunny.”

Morty looked up at Hawk, his ruined face streaming with tears and blood.

Hawk turned to Bunny who shook his head and put his palms up.

“Well uh.. L-let's get you back home. I-it'll be okay.”  
They helped him up and supported him as they made their way home.

“Y-you don't h-have to talk about it honey. It was h-hard for me t-to kill my first Rick too.”

“I didn't. He did.”  
He mumbled thickly before sobbing.

“What did he say?”  
Specs squinted.

Bunny waved his hand and shook his head.

Dino looked down and sagged before staring sadly at Specs with his expressive eyes.

“What is there to be done? Some Ricks just. They are just very sad without their Mortys.”

Bunny glared at him and he blanched but Morty spoke again.

“H-he said it was my fault. It's my fault. I left him. I left. Why did I leave? H-he needs me.. W-we..”  
Morty dissolved into sobs.

“Hey! That wasn't your Rick okay? Look at me!”  
Hawk caught his eye as they made their way home.

“That's NOT your Rick. Your Rick is NOT dead.”

Bunny sighed. Jack was not like any Morty he'd ever met.


	6. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh.

Morty stared at the floor as Bunny spoke.

“You love y-your Rick, don't you?”

He pressed his face into his hands, trying to hold back tears. He felt as if he had none left but they came with depressing regularity.

“Jack you can't keep torturing yourself. Where is he? M-maybe w-we can help you find him.”

Morty shook his head hard, his eyes still closed.

Bunny sighed. Jack was an enigma. If one looked close enough it was easy to find clues as to what had happened to himself. The relationship with Hawk. The flirty way in which he spoke and moved. The years with his Rick had not been kind to him and he paid back every Rick he could. He didn't kill out of spite but when he did happen to blow one of their heads off, he took pleasure in it.  
Jack could never kill a Rick and yet here he was, a runner. His Rick could be dead but he highly doubted it. So why hadn't his Rick come to fetch him yet? After all, he wouldn't be surprised if they lost another bartender to their Rick. It had been weeks. Where was this Rick that loved him so much?

“Well than you need to let him go, Jack. You can't keep tearing yourself apart like this. He's gone. He's not coming back. He would have been here wouldn't he?”

Morty glared at him.

“You don't know him so stop acting like you do.”

Bunny looked taken aback, even a little hurt, his brow furrowed and a cold light shone in his eyes.

Morty regretted his words immediately.

"B-bunny I'm s-"

The rabbit cut across him.

“Alright Jack. You don't have to talk a-about it. But I'm here if you ever want to.”

Morty became subdued.

“S-sorry Bunny it's just hard.”

Bunny's face relaxed and he smirked at him and winked.

“Hey, if anyone knows tha-that's like, it's me. It'll be okay Jack. All wounds heal with time.”

After Bunny left Morty stared at the loose floorboard where hi- Rick's portal gun was hidden.  
He gave in yet again and was soon on his hands and knees, prying it up to reach inside and grasp the cold, familiar metal.  
He sat down with it in his lap, tracing the curves of it soothed him.

His door burst open filling him with cold dread. He stiffened, his eyes wide with fear.

“Hey, sorry to drop in on you Jack, but I was wonderi-”  
Hawk's words caught in his throat. He stared from Morty's face to the portal gun, transfixed.

“BUNNY!”

“N-no Hawk! You don't understand! Wait just let me explain!”  
Morty hurriedly put a pillow over his lap where the portal gun lay, wincing, embarrassed at being caught with it. He was also absolutely petrified.

“Oh I understand plenty well. After all this, you fucking killed your Rick. You acted all innocent. You're a great actor Jack.”

"I didn't! I swear! Just let me-"

Bunny slid into the room and they both looked at him; their expressions a dichotomy. 

“Hawk, baby what's-”

“Move the fucking pillow, Morty.”

The informal way he addressed him cut through him.

Bunny attempted to go to him but Hawk barred him with his arm. Bunny looked alarmed.

“Show him what's under the pillow, Morty.”  
He said slowly and carefully, gritting his teeth.

Morty swallowed hard and frowned, woeful as he slowly pulled the pillow from his lap.

Bunny looked at a loss. The disappointment on his face was palpable and Morty felt like he'd been pierced through the heart. He was mortified. He wanted to die. His life was over.

“Bunny.. Please let me explain.”

“A portal gun, Jack?.. Jack.. Why? Why did you bring that here? Do you know what kind of jeopardy you put us in by bringing it here?”

“Bunny..”  
Tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

The fuzzy Morty's face twisted into one full of malice.

“Save it for the cops. You're a great actor, Jack, but it's over now.”  
Bunny trained a gun on him.

Tears slipped hotly down his cheeks. He was unable to meet Bunny's scornful gaze. It just hurt too much.

After what felt like forever, a Rick in a cop uniform appeared in the doorway. His hair was cropped short and he looked at him sadly before nodding to Bunny who let him by and slammed the door behind them, leaving Morty and the cop alone in the room.

Morty suddenly felt scared.

“W-wh-what are you gonna do to me?”

Morty scooted back, the portal gun still in his lap.

Rick looked cautiously to the gun and back into Morty's face.

“Where'd you get the portal gun, Morty?”

“Jack! My name is Jack!”

Rick rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Jack. Where'd you get it, Jack?”

“It doesn't matter, just do whatever you have to do.”

Rick pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.  
Morty threw up his hands and flinched, waiting for the shot that didn't come.  
He opened his eyes slowly to see Rick staring down at the gun which had a little screen.

The cop looked up slowly, searching Morty's face critically, squinting.

Morty noticed his hand was on his other gun. The one that could probably blow a hole in his skull or disintegrate him or something awful like that. To kill him if needed. Him, Morty. Harmless Morty.

Rick's voice was slow and careful when he spoke.

“What are you doing here C-137?... Where's your Rick? And why the fuck do you have his portal gun?..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHHHH SHIT.


	7. It's Not Like That

Morty stared out the window of the patrol car numbly, feeling each bump and rattle of the vehicle as it moved.

“Why did you think you could hide this?”  
A voice asked quietly from the front seat.

The sound of a turning signal pierced the quiet and Morty let the turn push him into the side of the car. He couldn't care less about whatever this cops' agenda was. Maybe he wanted a promotion.

“It's none of your fucking business.”

The voice from the front seat sighed.

“It kind of IS my fucking business, though. You broke the law so I have to come clean up your mess.”

“I wasn't hurting anyone!”  
Morty was suddenly angry. Why was this so hard for all of them to understand?  
“I didn't do shit!”

The voice in the front seat sounded frustrated, like it was losing patience.  
“You were in possession of a PORTAL GUN, Morty! Where'd you get the gun!?”

Fuck it.  
“Even though it's none of your fucking business. I took it, okay?”

“Well I figur-”

“And he just let me because he's a pussy. You all are pussies. You're all scared inside. That's why you lash out at everyone and try to act all tough. But really you're just scared children.”  
Morty sniffled.

Silence greeted him. Only the rumble of the car filled the space. Than:  
“We're not all like that.”

Morty looked up for the first time, seeing the eyes in the rear-view mirror. They looked a little sad. He knew that look. He blushed and looked away.

“I-I don't know what C-137 did to hurt you and from what I know of you two this is all highly out of character.”

A scoff broke the quiet.  
“You don't know anything.”

“I know that whatever happened, it was very un-Rick-and-Morty-like. Seems like you may have set some kind of precedence even.”

Morty pursed his lips. The way Rick said it made it almost sound like a complement and he hated how that made him feel.  
“All he had to do was let me love him and he couldn't even handle that. So I left. I'm tired of his shit. He lets his emotions tear him apart. H-he couldn't even love me without trying to destroy himself. So fucked up..”

The eyes caught his again. He expected to be judged. Expected the expression to be wrinkled with hatred and disgust like the first Rick he'd seen at the bar. But to his surprise they weren't and there was something in them that Morty couldn't place. This wasn't his Rick and he didn't know him as well. This Rick was different. More solemn somehow. Their intensity made him look away again.

“You know I have a very love-hate relationship with my job, Morty.”

He suddenly felt uncomfortable, shifting in his seat. Whatever was coming he knew he didn't want to hear it.

“You may not believe this but I love helping Mortys. More often than not a slap on the wrist is enough to keep you guys out of trouble. You're innocent in ways you don't understand. I'm not saying you're dumb. It's different than that. But what I'm trying to say is you don't deserve what we Ricks do to you. You don't deserve it at all and I'm glad I care even if most Ricks don't give a shit.”

Morty blushed hotly, tears gathered in the corners of his eyes before overflowing.  
He could hear the sound of leather being squeezed as Rick gripped the steering wheel harder.

“You know how many Mortys I've killed? You know how many of them I've seen broken? And not like you are. You're lucky.. you know?”

He looked again at the rearview mirror and was pierced by Rick's gaze, having to look away again immediately. There was something in those familiar eyes. Something he knew so well. More tears coursed down his face.

Silence stretched on again. The patrol car felt stuffy and full with unspoken words. Morty felt like he was suffocating from it.


	8. A Thin Line

When Rick let him out of the patrol car and guided him through the building where the council waited for him, the hand on his back didn't push him at all. It gently urged him along. He could almost feel the regret in the fingers that pressed into his lower back. He nearly started crying again.

He stood before the council in a large, ornate room. They sat there, their eyes judging. He turned to look at the cop one last time and caught his eye. He looked sorry and Morty suddenly didn't want him to leave. He wanted to hear more. He needed that vindication. He wanted to feel whatever this strange Rick could possibly offer him. But Rick just turned away and left, his footsteps heavy and it left Morty feeling colder and more empty than ever.  
Morty turned again to look at the council. They all looked down their noses at him. The worst parts of Rick were all here in this room. Arrogance, spite, judgment, hatred.  
Someone pushed him roughly to his knees. It didn't matter who. A Rick, a Morty. What did it matter now?  
The plastic ziptie cuffs bit into his skin as he squirmed a bit. There was no way they were coming off.

One of the Ricks looked down at a piece of paper.  
“C-137 you are hereby sentenced to death for treason. Owning a portal gun is against the Rickneva convention part HH671. Any Morty who owns a portal gun shall be put to death for being irresponsible and being a thieving dumbass.”

“That's a stupid law! I didn't DO anything!”

“YOU STOLE A PORTAL, GUN, MORTY!”  
One of the Ricks leaned forward in his chair.  
“And you KNOW we don't put up with that shit!”

“I wasn't gonna use it!”

“Bullshit! Y-you were probably gonna do some dumb shit that would unravel the fabric of space time. A portal gun is one of the most dangerous things in the universe and we wouldn't let you use it. We're not gonna let a CHILD destroy existence.”

“Fuck you Rick! I just said I wasn't gonna use it! Y-y-you think I don't know how dangerous it is after you used it to fuck up whole galaxies and almost destroy existence yourself!?”

“That's Rickdiculous only C-137 would be that stupid. Besides, he's too scared to actually do it. He loves you and your family too much. A-anyways what I'm saying is you'd use it for sure. Probably to go to somewhere to pick up an alien prostitute you perv.”

“GOD DAMMIT! You've fucked like THOUSANDS of people! How are you calling ME the perv?! And stop adding Rick to everything! It's so fucking lame!”

The Ricks in the council murmured to each other, not used to such back-talk.  
“Jesus you're such a killjoy, Morty. We're just trying to have a little fun.”

“I'm about to DIE! This isn't fun!”

One of the Ricks laughed.  
“Hah! It is for us, Morty! We finally got C-137's Morty. And after we kill you, he'll have no choice but to pout and act like a little bitch about it. Hopefully he'll off himself and we won't have to worry about him mucking anything up for us anymore.”

“Say goodbye to your fucking face, bitch!”  
All the Ricks laughed.

“FUCK YOU RICK!!”  
Morty struggled against the ziptie, feeling it cut into his wrists.

“W-wh-what you think you're gonna get away?! Those bonds are made of Plastonium you idiot. It's one of the strongest known substances in the universe. It also takes like a million years to bio-degrade. But who fucking cares? Can't have rogue Mortys like you getting all uppity.”

Rogue.

“You know what Rick? Just fucking kill me, I don't even care anymore. You're all stupid dipshits who don't care about anything but yourselves.”

“Save your sob story for C-137. Oh wait! That's right! He doesn't give a SHIT about you. If he did he would have come for you WAY before now. Says here that you've been on the Citadel for over a month. Any Rick who gave half a shit about his Morty would have come for you by now.”

Hot tears stung Morty's eyes as he squirmed again against the bonds.  
“You're WRONG! You don't know him! He's not like you!”

“What is widdle baby Morty gonna cry now because I hurt his widdle baby feelings?”

Morty felt his stomach twist as he realized how much they were all enjoying his suffering.  
“He DOES care about me!”  
Morty felt his argument falling apart, despair filling him. They were right.

“Then where IS he Morty?”

“All I did was LOVE you! That's all I ever did! I loved you, you son-of-a-bitch and I still do!”

“Ugh, gross. The C-137s are fucking, great. We don't have time for this.”  
A gun was pointed at him by one of the Ricks.  
“Say goodbye, sicko.”

Morty shut his eyes tightly and winced when he heard the sound of a laser being fired. Only he wasn't dead. At least he didn't feel dead.

“Don't cause a scene or the rest of you will have matching holes in your heads like your friend here.”

It was a voice Morty recognized. The cadence and tone were unmistakable. Morty looked up quickly, hope brimming in his eyes.

There he stood. Rick. Eyes blazing, his gun trained on the Rick next to the dead one.

Guards stepped forward but froze in their tracks as portals opened up all around them. A myriad of Ricks stepped from them, guns at the ready.

“D-don't try anything stupid or I'll destroy your shitty Citadel for a second time. I'll reduce this place to fucking dust. I did it once and I'll gladly do it again.”

All the Ricks looked pissed as fuck. But none of the Citadel Ricks or Mortys moved a muscle.  
C-137 stepped forward and pulled Morty roughly to his feet, pointing his gun suddenly at his neck, making Morty flinch from the feel of cold metal against his skin.  
“Do you know how many fucking favors I had to call in for this, dipshit? Your little stunt? Because you decided to throw a hissy fit, I had to go traipsing all around the universe doing favors so I could get in here without getting my face blasted off.”  
Rick hissed furiously in his ear.  
“I've been working tirelessly to get your ass back so you better thank me like a motherfucker later. You're gonna owe me for the rest of your pathetic little life after this.”

“This is all YOUR fault though! YOU threw the hissy fit!”  
Morty hissed right back at him, his face burning.

“Bullshit! You destroyed ALL my shit! That's why it took me so long to get here! You tiny-brained fucker!”

Morty flushed with embarrassment. Maybe that was a bit rash of him. He swallowed.  
“H-how did you know you'd get here in time? They were about to-”  
He felt a squeeze on his arm and maybe the barrel of the gun waver just slightly.

Rick fell silent for just a moment before speaking again, his voice more gruff.  
“We'll talk about this lat-”

“If you two are quite finished having your gross-ass lovers quarrel we'd like you to please get the fuck out.”  
One of the Ricks said tiredly.

The next moment he lay dead, slumped over in his seat.

“Anyone else wanna smart-off at the mouth?”

All of the remaining Citadel Ricks looked bored and annoyed. The Mortys had a colorful array of emotions on their faces ranging from fear to rage and even mirth.

“Good. Let's blow this popsicle stand, guys. I'll catch up with you later.”  
He eyed a few of the rogue Ricks who nodded.  
Rick let go of Morty and stepped forward, plucking his portal gun from a table labeled 'Evidence'. It was in a plastic bag which he discarded hastily. He pulled Morty by the arm and shot a portal with disdain. Right before they could step through, a voice rent the air.

“We can kidnap him. What would you do then? We could hold him hostage. I'm willing to bet you'd do anything to get your precious Morty back. Anything at all. We'd own you. You would be our slave as long as we kep-”  
Another Rick dead.

C-137 pulled Morty roughly through the portal. Morty couldn't see his expression.


	9. Turn Back the Clock

Morty stumbled into the light of a setting sun, feeling confused and shocked. Maybe he had really died and was in some sort of afterlife.  
He looked up at Rick was was gripping his wrist, resolute not to look at him. No he was alive. He'd never want his version of heaven to be this angsty.  
Morty wasn't sure if he wanted to hug him or punch him and both urges mingled in him simultaneously making him feel even dizzier than he already did. He blinked a few times.  
“T-this isn't home.”

“Of course not! What, you think I'd just portal us home so they could trace us? I'm not you, I think things out before I decide to do them.”  
He spat.

Okay that stung.

“Hold out your hands.”

“What?”

“I said hold out your hands!”

Morty felt immediately relieved as Rick sliced easily through the Plastonium ziptie with what appeared to be a sharpened pocket knife.  
As he rubbed the feeling back into his wrists he mumbled.  
“How did you cut it that easily? T-that was Plastonium. One of the strongest materi-”

“One of the strongest materials in the universe blah blah. Yeah you fell for that huh?”

Morty felt ashamed and stupid.  
Rick pushed Morty roughly towards the ship and Morty relished the brief contact.

“Now get in, retard.”

He looked at the old man as he climbed into the driver's seat, who looked furious, his hands shook a bit. Morty noticed he was sweating.

After jabbing a few buttons as they lifted off, the ship announced in a pleasant voice:  
“Auto-pilot engaged.”

Morty was beginning to dread what was coming next because he had no idea what was going to happen. How was Rick going to react? He wouldn't kill him. He came to get him which frankly astonished him. He really thought Rick would just let him go because he couldn't handle their relationship.  
And yet here he was, saving him with a heavy amount of bravado and a whole fucking army of Ricks in tow. God it probably was a feat having to convince that many of them to help him.

Rick turned to him, his knuckles white on the steering wheel, his face flushed with anger.  
“What the FUCK were you thinking Morty? Do-do-do you know the hundreds of ways in which you could have died out there alone? Especially in the Citadel.”

He noticed that Rick was glancing at the marks on his wrist, his eyes full of worry.  
Rick ran a hand through his hair and sighed, slouching in his seat, making Morty flinch at the sudden action. He seemed to be conflicted, his mouth working to make words though he couldn't choose which ones he wanted to say first.

His hands went out and shook with emphasis as he spoke,  
“You could have died! Then where would I be?! Without you? Fucking Christ it was already bad enough that you left in the first place. Wh-what if that had happened? What w-would I be without you?”

Morty was somewhat bewildered to see tears in his eyes.

Rick was looking away, and when he looked back to him, it nearly broke Morty. The look on his face was desperate and Morty noticed he seemed more disheveled than normal and he definitely reeked of alcohol.  
“Why'd you leave?”  
His voice cracked.

The boy looked away, feeling ashamed and not sure why.  
No. This wasn't fair. Rick was the one who'd pushed him away and shut him out after what they'd become.  
When he looked back at him, his eyes were hard and angry.  
“Because you left me! You left me, Rick! I needed you a-and you weren't there for me. And god knows you needed me. You still do. You risked everything to come get me. Don't you see how much I mean to you? I love you goddammit!”

Rick folded his arms and wiped his eyes, pouting.  
“I didn't risk shit. I knew exactly what I was doing.”

“Fine, so what, you still came! You came back for me!”

Rick's hands clutched at air as if he could strangle it.  
“Of course I know how much you mean to me, you little shit! When you left I wanted to die. I've never wanted to die so fucking bad in my life. I thought I'd n-never see you again. That was it. My life was over. What am I without you? It's not just Rick, it's Rick AND MORTY, Morty.”  
He sat back again hard in his seat and folded his arms.

“You son-of-a-bitch. After all that you still can't say it.”  
Morty was in disbelief. After everything that had happened he was still just as stubborn and evasive as ever.  
He sighed and looked away, shaking his head, feeling empty. Until a warm hand descended on his shoulder.

He turned to see Rick with an expression he had never quite seen before. In that look were the words 'I love you' written so clearly that he didn't even need to say it. It was so clear that Morty thought there was no possible way he could ever doubt it again. Not ever.

“I can.”  
His voice was quiet. There was more tenderness in it than Morty thought Rick could ever be capable of.  
“I can say it.”  
He took in a deep breath.  
“I love you, Morty.”

Morty's expression twitched.

“I've loved you for so long. Not always in the way I do now even. God I-I love you so fucking much that I didn't even know what to do with myself. I was so afraid for so long that I'd hurt you, that I'd destroy you. That because of who I was and who I am that I would break you. Snap you.”  
He shivered and went on.  
“But you didn't break until I broke you. I did this. I-I let this happen.”  
Tears were in his eyes again.  
“I let myself get so caught up in my head about who I was before and who I was becoming that I couldn't even see you right in front of me. Couldn't see how perfect you were. How perfect you are.”  
He seemed to be in immense pain as he reached out to touch his cheek and run his thumb along it just the way Morty liked.

Morty sniffled, he was a mess. Tears ran down his face and dripped onto his shirt, wetting it. His nose was streaming a little too much. He felt embarrassed. Though the way Rick was looking at him made him feel like the most precious treasure to ever exist.

“Well. Maybe you aren't perfect. But you are to me. You put up with all my shit, Morty. Every fucked up scrap of who I am. You take it all with a smile. How can you do that?”  
He croaked.

“B-because you're Rick.”  
He said simply, his voice a croak as well.

Confusion suffused his features.  
“So?”

“So you're RICK. THE Rick. Not a citadel Rick. You're rogue Rick. The true Rick. You bow to no one. No one is your master. You bend for nothing and no o-.”

“I did for you.”  
The old man said quietly.

Morty felt like someone had punched him in the gut and he was left speechless.  
It was true.

Rick went on.  
“Morty. After you left I was a mess. I didn't know what to do with myself. I tried to kill myself a few times but only stopped myself because I knew you wouldn't want that f-for me... No one ever..”  
He trailed off before regaining his train of thought, taking in a deep breath.  
“I drank a lot. I mean a lot. There was a good few days I lost that I won't get back. I don't know what happened. I coulda done anything in those few days and I have no way of knowing what they were. All I could think of was you. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't think of anything else. After a few days of- of crying and moping I realized I had to get you back. I had to stop looking at a little tracking dot on a screen and come get you. But you were at the goddamned Citadel of all places. And I had no portal gun. I had almost nothing left. Everything was destroyed. All I had left was my ship. So I left. I found a few of my friends to help me get in contact with a few other Ricks. I used up favors to borrow supplies and a few more favors to borrow those Ricks.”  
He swallowed hard.  
“I-it took a bit to-to get the timing right. W-when I finally had all my shit together it.. Well..”  
His breath caught.

Rick passed him a small device that looked like a tablet with a list on it. He scanned it, looking for what he was supposed to be seeing.  
November 4th, 2017  
“B-but..”  
Morty knew for a fact that today was October 21st. He looked at the dash to confirm it. Sure enough.  
That meant...  
Morty swallowed.

Rick's hand was on his, squeezing tightly.  
“I'm here. I came back. I couldn't let-”  
He took in a shaky breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself..  
“I-I got no more favors to cash in, kid.”

His voice trembled terribly, sobs in it, tears were in his eyes.

Tears streamed more down Morty's cheeks. Rick had found out how to go back in time to save him. He'd unraveled the infinate mystery of timespace.  
For him.  
And beyond that. The ramifications of him going back in time could have destroyed existence. But Rick didn't seem to care an inkling about any of that.  
All Rick cared about was him.  
Morty's face was a mask of shame.  
“R-Rick.. Jesus.. I-I-I'm s-so sorr-”

Warm, strong arms were around him, squeezing tight, a familiar voice with and unfamiliar tone sobbed in his ear.  
“I was so scared, baby. I was s-so scaared.”  
Rick cried.  
“I-I-I was so worried I couldn't get you back.”  
He barely made his way through the sentence, hiccuping with tears. Rick's hands were unconsciously brushing through his curls, cradling his head close to his chest.  
“S-so worried. I fucked up. I-I-I missed you s-so much.” Morty could feel shaky hands slipping through his hair and little pecks across his cheeks.  
Rick was full on crying at this point, clutching to Morty like he might fall away into nothingness if he let go, pressing his face into his neck, tears wetting Morty's skin.

Morty had no idea how to react. Morty with his hair-trigger emotions had no idea what to do. So he did what Rick would do.  
“Hey.. R-Rick..”  
He too was crying.  
“I'm here. I'm alive y-you did it.. Y-”  
He wept.  
“Y-you saved me.”  
Morty pulled himself together enough to speak again.  
"Rick I don't think you understand how amazing y-you are."  
His words came out in a rush of disbelief that the man couldn't see it himself.  
"You w-went back in time for me. For ME! Y-y-you can do anything. You're Rick. You're like, the smartest man who's ever lived! You're sm-smart and sexy, an-and brave, and strong, and r-r-reckless, and impulsive. N-no one is like you Rick. No one could EVER be like you. Not even other Ricks. You're one of a kind an-and I'm s-so lucky to have you in my life."  
The sentences came tumbling out. He wasn't able to stop them.

Rick took in a deep breath and sat up to look at him, cupping his tear-drenched face, his voice trembling.  
"N-none of that would matter without my Morty."

Morty sighed and looked at him for what he really was. A crazy old genius. Yes he was maybe a god to many but to Morty he was just Rick.  
"A thousand years."

"A thousand fuckin years, baby."  
Rick hiccuped.


End file.
